Iolan Gabe Walisky left his house around 11 a.m. on Thursday morning to buy groceries and stop for a quick cup of coffee when a neighbor called to tell him his house was on fire.
He thought she was joking. He’d just left there.
Minutes later, he drove up to find fire trucks surrounding his home and smoke pouring from the attic.
The house at 501 S. Walnut St. was heavily damaged by the fire. Crews were able to contain the blaze to the attic space and had it under control in about 30 minutes, Iola Fire Chief Corey Isbell said.
The cause of the fire is undetermined, Isbell said.
Most of the damage was to the attic, with light smoke and water damage to the rest of the house, Isbell said. Some of Walisky’s belongings were salvaged.
“Our crews did an excellent job. We had a quick response and a quick fire attack,” Isbell said.
Crews had to cut holes in the roof to fight the fire.
“When everyone arrived, there was light smoke in the attic area. There were some voids in the roof area where it was difficult to get it out.”
Walisky purchased the home earlier this summer and moved in September. He was in the process of remodeling the house.
He previously lived in Colorado and said he was encouraged to move here by friends and relatives. He recently started a plumbing business, Heartland Plumbing.
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